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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24642748">The Golden Deer and the case of the Mystery Door</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuraPaladinne/pseuds/AuraPaladinne'>AuraPaladinne</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, The Great Fodlan Bakeoff, mystery shenanigans</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 02:14:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,450</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24642748</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuraPaladinne/pseuds/AuraPaladinne</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ignatz points out a mysterious door on the monastery grounds. Claude has an idea.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Golden Deer and the case of the Mystery Door</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Hey, Claude, have you ever wondered what’s behind that door?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Claude leaned back against the stone wall, as his lunchtime partner drew his attention away from their light conversation. It was a beautiful sunny day outside, so when Ignatz invited him to lunch at the base of the grand cathedral, he hadn’t thought much of it aside from a nice way to spend a lazy Friday afternoon.</p>
<p>As he turned to where Ignatz had nodded, however, he gave the door a second glance. From the main hall, it was mostly obscured from view by the arena, and most students passing by were probably more interested in the goddess tower than the drab building that lay in its shadow. The single, sturdy-looking door wasn’t much to look at, the bright shining lock on the door looking very out of place on the otherwise plain exterior.</p>
<p>Claude von Riegan, however, had seen enough things around Garreg Mach that he cursed his inattention in not noticing this place before. This had ‘church secrets’ written all over it.</p>
<p>“You know what? Don’t think I have.” He shrugged.</p>
<p>“I’ve heard that no-one quite knows what’s in there…I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious, myself.”</p>
<p>“No-one, huh?”</p>
<p>“Well, that’s just what they say. You know, I’ve heard some thrilling stories about what could be inside, if you’re interested?”</p>
<p>Yep, there it was. Claude gave a tiny smile at the way Ignatz’s eyes lit up slightly, as he started to explain what half-baked theories his classmates had given him to fantasize about.</p>
<p>“Maybe it’s a hidden library…o-or an old forgotten classroom from before the main building was constructed! It’s hard to tell from the outside, but the rest of the cathedral area dates back to way before the rest of the-”</p>
<p>Claude rest a hand on his fellow archer’s shoulder, cutting him off mid-excited rant. He knew where this was leading now, and he was quite curious to see where this would lead.</p>
<p>“Alright, I know a plan forming when I see one. I Maybe it’s time for a little team meeting?” he offered.</p>
<p>---</p>
<p>“…and that’s the plan. Any questions?”</p>
<p>Judging by the look on Ignatz’s face, Claude assumed he was hoping for a bigger turnout. Still, this was more people interested by the prospect of breaking into monastery property than he’d initially thought.</p>
<p>He surveyed the room, somewhat surprised to see someone had actually raised their hand.</p>
<p>“How could you think that any of this is a good idea? You’re wasting my time.” Ouch. Lysithea had a way of getting right to the point.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I don’t know if this is a good idea. It sounds exciting and all, but what if we get caught?” Leonie chimed in, worried.</p>
<p>Claude, sighed, more or less having expected this to happen.</p>
<p>
  <em>Sorry Ignatz. I tried.</em>
</p>
<p>He was about to call it a night when he heard a voice pipe up behind him, somewhat more boldly than he was expecting.</p>
<p>“Can any of you truly say that you’re not curious about what’s behind that door? I don’t know what might happen but…this might be our only chance to find out. I…I think I’d like to know.” Ignatz looked down sheepishly as he finished speaking.</p>
<p>Silence. The group seemed to be reluctantly thinking about it.</p>
<p>“I guess…” Lysithea spoke slowly now, pausing as if to read the room before continuing. “…I am a little curious. But only a little!”</p>
<p>Leonie sighed, but the warm smile growing betrayed her true thoughts. “Alright, fine. If it means that much to you, I’ll go check it out. Could be fun!”</p>
<p>“Alright!” Ignatz cheered, now fully fired up. “It’s time for the golden deer to shine!”</p>
<p><em>That’s my line!</em> Claude thought to himself, a smile making its way to his face as well. <em>Ah well. Who knew that Ignatz had it in him? </em></p>
<p>---</p>
<p>Whatever courage Ignatz had managed to channel during the meeting had most certainly left him by the time night had fallen, as the four Golden Deer’s hunt began.</p>
<p>“You’re sure the coast is clear, Leonie?” Ignatz asked her for the tenth time since they left the dorms.</p>
<p>“Sure am!” she grinned. “It’s Captain Jeralt’s shift around the cathedral now, but this late at night he sneaks off to go fishing near the greenhouse.”</p>
<p>“Huh, didn’t take him to be the slacker type.” Claude quipped. “That <em>is</em> your role model we’re talking about, right?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, so?”</p>
<p>“Just saying, that sounds more like a Hilda move than a Leonie one to me.”</p>
<p>“<em>Hey</em>, you take that back or-“</p>
<p>“Guys!” Lysithea hissed. “Quiet. We’ve arrived.”</p>
<p>Claude and Ignatz had scouted out the building earlier, and had found that the front door was really the only way in – there was a window off to the side, but it looked far too high up for either of them to investigate further. Claude moved to the entrance and tried opening the door, but with little luck. The lock didn’t look too strong, but it seemed it was good enough for the job.</p>
<p>Chuckling smugly at her leader’s efforts, Lysithea motioned for everyone to step back. “It’s a good thing I’m here,” she said, hand aglow as she mustered what little tact she had left. “I know a thing or two about opening doors.”</p>
<p>Claude barely heard her as he closely examined the door. The lock itself was a strangely ornate padlock, shining silver with gold trim in the shape of an animal Claude couldn’t quite make out on account of-</p>
<p>Wait, was the lock <em>melting</em>?</p>
<p>Sure enough, the lock was aflame, burning under the force of magical fire. Ignatz gasped. Leonie winced. Lysithea looked far too pleased with herself. “It seems it’s a good thing I decided to come after all.”</p>
<p>“What the <em>heck</em>, Lysithea?” Leonie hissed. “How are we going to lock the door now?”</p>
<p>“Why would we lock the door, anyway? We’re trying to get into the building, not out of it.”</p>
<p>“And what happens, in the morning, when the guards <em>see that the lock is gone?</em>”</p>
<p>Lysithea paused for a moment, face turning white. “O-oh. Oh no.”</p>
<p>The gravity of the situation hitting the group, Ignatz joined in the panic. “Oh no, Lady Rhea’s going to be <em>so disappointed in us!</em>”</p>
<p>“It-it was an accident! I’m too young to be excommunicated!”</p>
<p>“They’ll take my paints away as punishment! I’ll never be able to paint again!”</p>
<p>“What if the lock comes back as a ghost and haunts me? I won’t be able to sleep at night!”</p>
<p>“What if-“<br/>“What if-“</p>
<p>“Guys.”</p>
<p>“Huh?”<br/>“Huh?”</p>
<p>Claude pointed towards the door, slightly ajar. “Don’t sweat the details just yet. Shall we take a look inside?”</p>
<p>That did the trick. Ignatz nodded hesitantly, herding a still-shaking Lysithea inside as they silently followed the rest of the deer into the building, wondering what awaited them.</p>
<p>---</p>
<p>What was awaiting them inside seemed to be school supplies, mostly.</p>
<p>The room itself was dimly lit by the light of the moon, a silvery glow illuminating what looked to be an extremely archaic interior. Old timber married with finely chiselled stone formed the building’s skeleton, with desks and books sprawled about in a chaotic fashion. But the most peculiar thing about the room was undoubtedly a rather familiar green-haired student, who was casually taking a nap in the middle of the room.</p>
<p>“…Linhardt!?!??” The group was stunned.</p>
<p>“Wha-oh, it’s you.” The recently awoken mage yawned, head still resting on the desk he’d found himself napping at today. “Don’t you know it’s rude to wake someone up in the dead of night?”</p>
<p>For the first time in a long time, Claude von Riegan was speechless.</p>
<p>The rest of the deer has dispersed to soak in the sights of the room. Lighting a lantern, Ignatz started furiously scrawling down details of the building’s internal structure. Lysithea sat in a corner, too traumatised to move. Leonie started poking around the random desks that were sprawled around the room.</p>
<p>“Looks like a bunch of junk to me.” Leonie picked up a book, blowing dust off the cover, and a glance at the cover. “This book’s pretty old…I guess it <em>is</em> just an old storeroom after all.”</p>
<p>Linhardt, now slightly more awake, looked like he was growing more irritated by the second. “Didn’t anyone teach you not to pick up things that didn’t belong to you?”</p>
<p>“Says the person sleeping in the storage room?”</p>
<p>“This isn’t a storage room, thank you very much. Now if you’re done interrupting my very important nap, I’m afraid I must bid you farewell.”</p>
<p>Claude smirked. Now <em>this </em>was getting interesting. “Hold on here for a sec, Lin. What do you know about this place?”</p>
<p>Aside from the scratches of Ignatz frantically sketching away, a silence fell on the room.</p>
<p>“…hey yeah, why <em>are</em> you in here anyway, Linhardt?” Leonie questioned, curiously.</p>
<p>“……if you must know, this <em>was</em> an old storage room. What this has <em>become </em>is my crest research lab.”</p>
<p>Claude whistled appreciatively. “Wow Linhardt, this is a pretty sweet lab you’ve got here. How’d you convince Rhea to help you out?”</p>
<p>“Oh, I didn’t ask her. I mentioned it to Hanneman, and he didn’t say no, so I figured that was the closest to a yes I was going to get.”</p>
<p>Claude could smell an opportunity when it arose, and this was a big one. He was about to respond when he was interrupted by a fired up Ignatz, who had started shouting from the back of the room. “Hey guys, you’re going to want to see this!”</p>
<p>---</p>
<p>“So.” Ingatz was out of breath, having run back over the group to lead them to the back wall. “It turns out that this building is older than the rest by far, even possibly the main cathedral! I’ve never seen anything like it. I think this might have even been the original building that the monastery was based on!”</p>
<p>“I find that rather hard to believe.” Replied a mostly recovered Lysithea.</p>
<p>“So did I. It didn’t all quite make sense until I got here and found <em>this!</em>” Ignatz, having finally led the group to their destination, shone his lantern up at the wall to reveal a faded, elaborate mural that spanned the entirety of the back wall. It was somewhat hard to see, but in the dim light, Claude could make out a large portrait of a green haired woman – Seiros? – surrounded by a ray of heavenly light. Sprawled out on either side of her were twelve other figures, not quite the same size or glowing with the same sheen, but still impressive in their detail and construction.</p>
<p>“Isn’t it wonderful? It’s a bit hard to see, but this painting style isn’t like anything I’ve seen before! The way the paints are layered, I can’t even begin to think about how old this is, or what the painter was like-” Ignatz kept talking, enrapt in the mural, but Claude was starting to tune him out. The mural looked daunting, as if the lady in the centre was standing tall over all of them, gazed downwards at the children.</p>
<p>“So this is what you’re like, almighty goddess? Can’t say I’m too surprised.” Averting his gaze, Claude found himself catching his eye on some faded, vaguely familiar text etched into the bottom of the piece.</p>
<p>Wait, was that…</p>
<p>
  <em>Almyran?</em>
</p>
<p>He ran his fingers over the text, muttering to himself in disbelief as the words flowed through his mind.</p>
<p>“Lady…Sothis…”</p>
<p>“You alright, Claude?” Leonie asked, startling him from his trance.</p>
<p>“Ah! Uh…yeah, I’m okay. Just thinking about how we should *yawn* probably call it a night.” Claude stretched loudly, only half pretending. It <em>was</em> getting quite late.</p>
<p>Ignatz followed suit. “Oh! Uh, you’re probably right, yes. I think I got everything I needed.”</p>
<p>Leonie smiled, hands on her hips. “Well, looks like this wasn’t a waste of time after all.”</p>
<p>“Indeed.” Lysithea agreed. “Although, what are we going to do about the lock?”</p>
<p>Oh.</p>
<p>Right.</p>
<p>That.</p>
<p>Everyone looked dejected, as Claude tried to rack his brains for a solution, when suddenly Linhardt piped in.<br/><br/>“Oh, that lock? That’s mine. I used it to make sure no-one interrupts me when I’m conducing my important crest-related research.”</p>
<p>“You mean your naps?” Leonie responded dryly.</p>
<p>“<em>VERY</em> important crest-related research. Anyway, I’ve got spares, so if you’ll compensate me for the lock, I think that should cover it.”</p>
<p>Before anyone could object, Ignatz fished some coins out of his pockets and slammed them onto the desk with more eagerly driven force than he’d expected. “Done. This should cover the lock, and uh…if it’s alright with you, could I come back some time to finish my art? That really is a gorgeous painting, and I’m sure there’s a lot I could learn from it.”</p>
<p>Linhardt shrugged “Sure. If you’re willing to contribute this much to my research fund, who am I to stop you?”</p>
<p>“Thank you so much!” Ignatz beamed.</p>
<p>---</p>
<p>The five of them trudged back towards the dorms, more than eager to catch up on what sleep they could before the morning work them up proper.</p>
<p>Through her sleepy haze, however, Leonie still had one question on her mind. “So, how come you hadn’t seen that mural before, Linhardt?”</p>
<p>“I hadn’t seen much need to use the back. The front desks are perfectly comfortable as is.”</p>
<p>“That…I don’t know why, but I’m not surprised by that at all.” She sighed.</p>
<p>“Maybe it was fate, so we could all discover it together?” Ignatz chimed into the conversation as they rounded the corner by the combat arena.</p>
<p>Claude paused for a second. <em>Fate, huh. It’s awfully convenient, but then…</em></p>
<p>
  <em>…Sothis…I wonder why I haven’t heard that name before? She looked important, too.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Another piece of the puzzle. Maybe I am fated to solve the church’s secrets, after all…</em>
</p>
<p>Lost in thoughts, he suddenly realised that the group was moving on ahead of him, too tired to slow down to his thinking pace.</p>
<p>Ignatz, book out, was showing Leonie some part of tonight that captured his interest, eyes alight with a burning passion. Leonie, listening patiently, chirping in with a compliment now and then, with the beaming smile of a job well done. And Lysithea, proudly showing Linhardt the magic flame that rendered his poor lock asunder, bravado and ego completely and utterly restored.</p>
<p>The heir to the Leicester Alliance took a moment to appreciate this group of ragtag deer, their strength and passion aglow, as the dawning sun crept over the horizon to give them the same sort of glow that he’d seen on that woman in the mural.</p>
<p>This was his flock, and he was going to make them shine.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for reading this!! It's my first fic that I've written in about a decade, but I've gotten back into reading fanfic a lot recently so I figured I'd try my hand at writing some again, as well.</p>
<p>This was written as part of The Great Fodlan Bakeoff, a 48 hour writing jam! My prompts were:</p>
<p>- Exploration<br/>- Secret<br/>- Ambition<br/>- Devotion<br/>- Gossip</p>
<p>I had a lot of fun getting to revisit these characters through writing them, so thanks for the idea, y'all!</p>
<p>That's all from me - have a great rest of the day/night!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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